Dissolve Stress Fast This Holiday Season

Dissolve Stress Fast This Holiday Season

We’re officially in the thick of holiday season – time for family and celebration!

As we busy our days with gift buying and get-togethers, we may not notice if and when we begin to devolve into a pattern of overwhelm and obligation that befalls many during this time of year, and that leads to holiday stress.

Internet sales topped $3 billion for Black Friday this year. While good news for business, undoubtedly, this also means many will see high credit card bills in January. It’s nothing new, just one of the common stressors that can wreak havoc during the holidays, along with party planning and family drama, just to name a few.

At times, it can all be a bit much.

Though eliminating holiday stress is probably unrealistic, minimizing stress and anxiety, as much as possible, should be a top priority. Doing so means a more relaxing and enjoyable holiday season and a better start to the incoming year.

So, what to do?

Get present, slow down and engage your senses.

The modern life is one of distraction – a fact of life that can prove overwhelming if not managed properly. While our smartphones and laptops keep us connected to everything happening out there, it’s important to stay connected to what’s going on on the inside as well. Diving into our senses ignites a depth of feeling that allows us to appreciate the moments and the world around us more fully.

Exercise has many benefits, one of which is the power to release stress. As we make time to shop for gifts and plan holiday dinners, let’s also make sure to squeeze in additional time to get the heart rate up. During exercise, our body releases endorphins – stress-fighting hormones. This gives us that relaxed, Zen-like feeling we get after a good workout. It’s the perfect way to let off steam at the end of a hard and stressful day. Exercise also clears the mind and helps it focus, so it happens to be an excellent way to start the day, as well. Bonus!

Redirect your energy.

If we’re feeling stressed because of the holidays, it’s probably a good idea to focus on something else for a while. Do something that feels good: spend time with friends, catch a movie, or relax with a good book. It’s important to attend to ourselves when our energy reserves are low. This keeps us in balance and the stress at bay.

Journal your thoughts.

For many, nothing is more therapeutic than the process of putting thoughts down on paper. Giving our thoughts a voice can be just the thing to diffuse stressful, bad energy; perspective and insight are an added bonus. Writing for just 15 minutes a day can go a long way to keeping you calm and stress-free during the holiday highs and lows.